If only we could silence the world at our discretion, life would be a little more delightful. While we can’t really silence a person, however, one thing we can do is stop listening. The best way to block out distraction is a pair of headset that has ANC better than just decent. So we, as always, are at your aid, this time with a list of best noise-cancelling headphones. For the sake of choice, we bring you both: over-ear and in-ear, choose the one you like!
Top five ANC headphones in India
Hit the mute button with these headphones
1) Sony WH-1000XM5 | ₹34,990
The brand’s premium over-ear noise-cancelling wireless headphones, the XM5 comes with as many as four mics per earcup to monitor incoming ambient sound and two processors to separate noise from music and keep out high and mid-frequency sounds. There is also an Auto NC Optimiser that automatically optimises noise cancelling based on your wearing conditions and environment. So with this pair of headset you can go on without disturbance.
2) Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ₹34,990
These headphones come with advanced adaptive noise cancellation that means you can alter the level of ANC as per your liking or just enable Adaptive ANC to automatically adjust it based on your surroundings, meaning you can stay immersed while simultaneously hearing outside sounds. Plus, there’s a Transparency mode, you can just touch it to hear outside sounds without removing the headphones. Another important part, the headphones can survive over two days with ANC on, definitely not very common in most ANC headphones.
3) Apple AirPods2 ₹13,499
As per Apple, the active noise cancellation in gen 2 AirPods is up to twice as powerful as the previous iteration. The incoming sound is monitored 48,000 times every second to aid ANC and even enable Adaptive Transparency mode, which lets in everyday sounds without attenuation but instantly reduces the amplitude of sudden loud bursts like sirens, drilling etc. And you can also check how aggressively the ANC cuts out the noise inside your ears vis-a-vis outside when you toggle between Transparency mode and ANC.
4) Oppo Enco X2 ₹10,999
These TWS have pretty strong ANC, there are two modes: Noise Cancellation and Transparency. The brand has also provided different modes like Max, Mild, Moderate, and more to adjust noise cancellation manually. And, its silicone tips are very well fitted offering a substantial level of noise cancellation without causing discomfort even after several hours of use. The best bit? They are tuned by Dynaudio so they sound brilliant!
5) Jabra Elite 5 ₹14,999
Our last pick for the list, these in-ear headphones come with hybrid active noise cancellation. There are three-microphone on each earbud that pick voice sans ambient noise so you can have clear in-call experience on both ends. As per the brand, the earphones with Hybrid ANC record the reading of noise levels outside as well as inside your ear canal to determine the level of ANC you require.